What Does It Mean To Grill On Indirect Heat
Grilling your chicken on indirect heat is important because it helps the meat cook properly. You do not want the breasts to get dried out while trying to cook the thigh meat properly. Just turn the burners on one side of the grill and place the chicken over the other side.
If you have a charcoal grill, this takes a little more creativity and skill. Use about 45 briquettes on one side of the grill and place the chicken on the other side. Another way to do this is to place a drip pan in the middle of the grill and the charcoal on the sides. Cook the chicken over the drip pan.
Tips For Whole Grilled Chicken
The secret to perfectly grilled whole chicken is setting up your grill for indirect heat. Much like this roasted chicken recipe, the indirect heat method roasts the chicken to perfect doneness. Because the chicken isnt over the flames, you wont have to deal with flare-ups or burnt skin and underdone meat.
One step that I like to take when grilling a whole chicken is to dry brine it for 12-24 hours. Now, this isnt a requirement but trust me when I say that you will thank me for suggesting it. You can learn more about dry brining over here, but its essentially sprinkling salt on meat and then leaving it for awhile. The salt mixes with the moisture from the meat and that salty wetness gets into the meat, making it more flavorful and more tender.
I kept the seasonings for this recipe very simple, but I have also included suggestions for some spice and herb combinations that will add some delicious variety to your grilled chicken adventures.
Smoked Whole Chicken On Pellet Grill
Your summer barbecues arent complete without this easy smoked whole chicken on a pellet grill! Prepared with a simple yet flavorful spice rub, this chicken is smoked to perfection for the most succulent, tender and moist meat. Plus, this smoked whole chicken recipe takes 10 minutes of hands-on preparation time, and you can smoke one or multiple chickens at a time.
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How To Cook A Whole Chicken On A Pellet Grill
Youve decided to invest in a pellet grill because youve heard all the hype about how flavorful the food is. Its true, a pellet grill makes it so much easier than a regular grill, but it can be challenging, especially if youve never cooked on one. So, how do you cook a whole chicken on a pellet grill? Well, heres everything you need to know.
The Best Spatchcock Chicken Recipe Ever In The Universe For Real
Grilling a whole chicken is the kind of showy, secretly easy recipes we live to createits unbelievably simple to pull off, but it still makes for a dramatic dinner-party supper. Butterflied and hot from the grill, laid out on a platter with grilled lemons and a bowl of herb sauce, grilled spatchcocked chicken is a meal imbued with the spirit of sharing and generosity around which every gathering should be built. Theres something so wonderfully classic and inviting about serving a whole chickenits homey and special all at once, and this recipe is easy enough that youll be able to relax with the friends you serve it to, which is what this whole dinner-party thing is all about, right?
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How To Choose A Whole Chicken For The Grill
Youll want to look for a broiler or fryer chicken, theyre about 3-4 pounds. Their smaller size is perfect for grilling.
Look for the organic and antibiotic free on the label whenever possible. Even better, buy a local, truly free range bird. Try your farmers market, or this handy guide to local poultry in your area.
How To Spatchcock A Chicken
Spatchcocking is a fancy word for cutting a whole chicken open so it lies flat, in one piece, for cooking. If youre squeamish about cutting or deboning chicken then this is a good starting point because its super quick and easy. Youll need a pair of kitchen shears, or poultry shears to do the job neatly and quickly.
Step one: Put your chicken breast side down on your work surface.
Step two: Use kitchen or poultry shears to cut along the backbone, on one side. Then cut down the other side to remove the bone entirely.
Step three: Flip the chicken over and open it out. Press down firmly on the breast to get it flat. Its now ready to cook.
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How To Barbecue A Whole Chicken
- realfood.tesco.com
- Summary: Its best to cook the chicken in the oven until almost done, and then finish it on the barbecue to ensure it is thoroughly cooked. Lightly rub olive oil all
- Matching search results: Spatchcocking is a fancy word for cutting a whole chicken open so it lies flat, in one piece, for cooking. If youre squeamish about cutting or deboning chicken then this is a good starting point because its super quick and easy. Youll
Traeger Whole Smoked Chicken
Pellets
Mesquite
Wrap your next poultry cook with a little smoke. This whole chicken is brined, seasoned with our chicken rub, lemon, garlic, and fresh thyme, and mesquite-smoked for some smokin’ flavor.
Ingredients
How many people are you serving?
Units of Measurement:
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1Whole whole chicken
Seasoning
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1Mediumyellow onion, quartered
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3Wholegarlic cloves
Steps
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Whole Smoked Chicken On A Pellet Grill
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One of my absolute favorite meats to smoke is whole chicken, it is also one of the things that took me the longest time to perfect.
To achieve juicy, flavorful chicken and still get that tasty, crispy skin that everyone loves, you have to focus on temperature. Both the temperature of the chicken and the temperature of your grill.
Thats where a pellet grill comes in handy. The ability to increase the temperature of your smoker with the simple push of a button opens up the opportunity to cook great smoked chicken and also get that crispy skin that you want.
The Secret To Better Grilled Chicken
Its super simple: an instant read meat thermometer. The biggest problem people have when they grill chicken is they dont cook it to the right temperature they either under do it, or over do it.
Youre looking for an internal temperature of 75c/165F
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Spatchcocked Chicken: How To Grill A Whole Chicken Without Losing Your Mind
Spatchcocked chickenalso known as butterflied chickenis a whole chicken that has been split by removing the backbone, and then flattened out. Splitting and flattening the bird is dual purposeyou significantly reduce the cooking time, and ensure even cooking. While spatchcocked birds are great for roasting, theyre the hands-down best for grilling. In fact, the dictionary definition of the word spatchcock is literally chicken or game bird split open and grilled.
How Long Does It Take To Cook A Chicken On A Pellet Grill
The cook time will vary depending on the chickens size, grill temperature, and other factors. If youre cooking the whole chicken between 275-300 degrees, you can expect it to take anywhere between 1.5 2 hours.
Make sure you have a good meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature. Youre looking for about 175 in the thighs and 165 in the breast.
Then its ready to pull off the grill and let it rest.
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The Best Grilled Chicken
We simplified the grilled chicken cooking process with this recipe, which leads to a smoky, super-juicy bird that is filled with the bright flavors of lemon and herbs. We spatchcocked a whole chicken to increase the surface area that makes contact with the grill and used a generous amount of herb butter to help it self-baste as it gently cooks over indirect heat.
Get the Recipe: The Best Grilled Chicken
How To Make Grilled Whole Chicken From Scratch
How to make a slow cooker grilled whole chicken:
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What Makes This Recipe Unique
- Don’t heat up the house when the temperatures climb. Instead of roasting a whole chicken in the oven, you can BBQ a whole chicken outside!
- This grilled whole chicken recipe comes out with crispy, crackly skin and perfectly juicy white and dark meat.
- This method is almost entirely hands-off! Just a few minutes of prep work, and you can set it and forget it once it’s on the grill.
- We’ve included instructions for both gas and charcoal grills so you can easily adapt this recipe to whatever grill you have.
Fire Up The Smoker To 250f
I smoked this chicken on my Camp Chef Woodwind 24 pellet grill using the Bear Mountain Bourbon BBQ Pellets. They give a mellow, smoky flavor and are made with real bourbon barrel wood chips, so they added an extra layer of flavor to this chicken.
You can also use pecan or oak pellets, which will give you nice, mellow smoke that wont overpower the chicken. If youre trying to figure out what pellets to use, check out our article on the 9 Best Wood Pellets for Smoking.
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If Youve Got 30 Seconds And A Blender Youve Got Homemade Herb Sauce
The best spatchcock chicken recipe is only as good as the herbs and spices that flavor it, and this easy, creamy garlic-and-herb sauce is what pushes the particular whole chicken recipe into overdrive. A whole spatchcocked chicken, fresh off the grill and carved at the table while its still steaming and juicy, served with this garlicky, bright, basil-y sauce for dipping and slathering and drizzlingwell, lets just say that itll make even the newbiest of new home cooks look like a master. And the best part? You just toss a bunch of fresh herbs in a blender with some mayo and lemon juice and give it a whirl. Herb saucemade.
Grilling A Whole Chicken
Once the grill has reached 350F, place the chicken on the grill. For gas grills, you will place the chicken over the unlit burner and for the charcoal grill, the chicken will be placed on the opposite side of the charcoal pile. Note: Keep an eye on the temperature and adjust as necessary.
Close the lid and cook for 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165F. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving. Hop over here for a step-by-step guide to perfectly carved chicken.
Oh, no! You forgot to pull the chicken out for the backyard BBQ? Have no fear, you can cook it from frozen safely using this method. It may not have the grill marks, but it will be tender and juicy and is sure generate some great conversation.
- Cook Time:1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time:1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield:4 servings 1x
About Christine
Hi! Im Christine. My passion is creating recipes that take less time in the kitchen, so that we can all spend more time enjoying life! Im a busy single mom of two, so I totally get how tough it can be. Thats why Ive been figuring things out for my own family, and thats why I want to share this knowledge with others. I now help over 2 million people a month get delicious meals onto their tables. Come along with me and see how much easier it can be!
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How To Grill Whole Chicken:
Cooking a whole chicken on the grill may seem really intimidating, but its actually a pretty simple, hands-off process. This grilled spatchcock chicken recipe is broken down into 3 straight-forward components, resulting in a grilled whole chicken thats totally juicy & flavorful with gloriously charred & crisp skin: spatchcocking it, slathering it in a zesty + spiced wet rub, & leveraging 2-zone grilling.
How To Cook A Whole Chicken On The Grill:
The trickiest part of learning how to cook a whole chicken on the grill is striking the perfect balance of cooking it all the way through without drying it out & creating beautiful crispy chicken skin without it completely burning. It may seem like an impossible task, but its a lot easier than it seems.
This grilled butterflied chicken recipe leverages 2-Zone Grilling, slowly cooking the chicken with gentle, indirect heat before finishing with direct heat for a beautifully charred finish. The process is almost entirely inactive, making grilled butterflied chicken perfect for lazy Sunday afternoons or backyard entertaining!
How to grill a spatchcock chicken:
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What Is The Nutritional Information For This Grilled Chicken Recipe
With each serving of this delicious chicken, you get 350 calories, 1 gram of carbohydrates, 26 grams of fat with 9 grams being saturated fat, 119 milligrams of cholesterol, and 500 milligrams of sodium.
On the plus side, you also get 30 grams of protein, 320 units of vitamin A, 20 milligrams of vitamin C, and 16 milligrams of calcium as well as 2 milligrams of iron and 275 milligrams of potassium. The amounts will vary depending on the cut of chicken you eat and whether you remove the skin.
How To Pound Chicken Breast
Pounding your chicken is an essential step to making tender, evenly cooked chicken breasts. When you buy chicken breasts at the store, they are often thicker on one side and thinner on the other. You want to pound them to an even thickness so that they cook evenly. The pounding process also tenderizes the meat.
To pound your chicken, place it in a zip-top bag and seal the bag. Use a meat mallet, rolling pin, or any heavy, flat object to pound the chicken into an even 1/2-inch thickness. You can then add your marinade to the same zip-top bag with the chicken.
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What You Need To Make A Spatchcock Chicken
- Sharp Kitchen Shears: Using sharp poultry or kitchen shears will make removing the breastbone very easy. Use kitchen shears like these for the best results.
- Large Knife and Boning Knife: Sharp knives help with breaking and/or removing the cartilage and rib bones. This is the boning knife I use: .
- Instant Thermometer: Checking the Grilled Spatchcock Chicken temperature is the best way to determine the doneness and ensure it is properly cooked. This instant thermometer is less than $10 and works well: .
Why Would You Want To Grill A Whole Chicken
Grilling the whole bird makes sense whether youre cooking chicken for another recipe, or feeding a cookout crowd. Try it once and youll never go back to skinless boneless again.
- Whole chickens are substantially cheaper than pre-cut, and have been processed less.
- Whole chickens are fresher, and stay fresh longer than packages of cut meat.
- When you roast the whole chicken it doesnt dry out on the grill, and remains juicier. The complete covering of skin acts as an insulator and keeps all the flavor in.
- You can use the carcass for making amazing stock, so that chicken will keep on giving.
- It makes a great presentation, everybody will oooh and aaah.
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